Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-08-12
THE CHATSWORTH HORROR.
An ExcursiOn Train Falls Through Z
Bridge

THE CARS ARE TELEsCOPED AND OVER ONE HUNDRED
PERSONS ARE KILLRD-THE FULL NUMBER OF
WOUNDED CANNOT BE YET ToLD-HKARTRENDING
SCENES AND INCIDENTS.
Later dispatches give additional particulars OF
the terrible railroad disaster which was mentioned
In THE STAR yesterday. One hundred and eighteen
Is the number now reported dead, and 1t Is said
that four hundred are badly hurt. The train was
composed of six sleeping cars, six day coaches and
chair cars and three baggage cars. 1t was carry
Ing nine hundred and sixty passengers, all excur-
sionists, and was bound for Niagara Falls. The
train was so heavy that two engines were hitched
to 1t, and when it passed Forest Ill, 1t was an
hour and a half behind time. Chatsworth, the
next station east is miles Oh, and the run there
was made in minutes.
Three miles east OF Chatsworth is little slough,
feet deep and Is feet WIDE this was stretched
an ordinary wooden trestle bridge, and as the ex-
cursion train came laundering down on II, what
was the horror OF the engineer on the 'front.' engine
when he saw that
THE BRIDGE WAS AF1RE?
Right up before his eyes 1eaped the bright
flames, and the next instant he was among them.
There was no chance to stop. Had there been
The train was within 100 yards OF the red-tongued
messengers OF death before they flashed their
fatal signals into the engineers face But he
rails. AS 1t went over the bridge fell beneath 1t,
and it could only have been the terrific speed OF
the train which saved the lives Of the engineer and
car crashed into car, coaches piled one on top OF
another, and in the twinkling OF an eye nearly
100 people found instant death, and SO more were
so hurt they could not live. AS for the wounded,
they were everywhere. Only the sleeping coaches
escaped, and as the startled half-dressed passen-
gers came tumbling after them they found such
scene OF death as is rarely witnessed, and such
work to do that 1t seemed as If human hands were
utterly incapable. 1t lacked but fiye minutes OF
three
gage cars, one on top OF another. Then came the
six day coaches.
THEY WERE TELESCOPED,
and three OF them were pressed into just space
enough for one. The second carl had mounted on
its trucks, crashed through the car ahead Of it
crushing the woodwork aside like finder, and lay
there resting the tops OF the Seats while every
passenger In the front car was lying dead or dying
underneath. Out OF that car but four people came
alive. On top OF the second car lay the third and
Its bottom was smeared with the blood OF its VIC
crushed. but tSey We're broken and twisted in
every conceivable way, and every crushed timber
and beam represented crushed human frame and
broken bone. Instantly the air was filed with
the cries OF the wounded and the shrieks of those
about to die.
FIGHTING THE FIRE.
And there was another terrible danger yet to be
met. The bridge still burning, and the wrecked
cars were lying on the hercely-burning embers.
Everywhere in the wreck were wounded and un-
hurt men, women, and children, whose lives could
be saved If they could be gotten out, but whose
death was certain II the twisted wood OF the
broken cars caught fire. And to fight the fire
there was not drop OF water and only some fifty
able-bodied men who still had presence OF mind
light was the light OF the burning BRIDGE and
with so much OF its aid the fifty men went to
work to fight the flames For tour hours they
victory hung in the balance. Earth was
the only weapon with which the fire could
be fought, and so the attempt was made to
smother T. There
dig 1t up. no baskets or barrows to carry it, and so
desperate were they that they dug their fingers
built handful by handful, kept back the foe. So
they dug up the earth with their hands. reckless
OF the blood streaming out from broken finger
nails, and heaping 1t up In little mounds, while all
the While came the heart-rending cry, "FOr Gods
sake don't let us burn to DEATH" But finally the
victory was won, the fire was put out after four
a light came up in the east to take their place
and dawn came upon scene OF horror
REMOVING THE DEAD AND WOUNDED.
While the fight had been going on, men had been
dying, and there were not so many wounded to
take Of the wreck as there had been four hours
before. But in the meantime the country had
been aroused; help had come from ChatSwOrth,
Forest and Piper City, and as the dead were laid
reverently alongside OF each other In the cOrntied
there were ready hands to take them into Chats
worth, while some OF the wounded were carried to
Piper City. One hundred an eighteen was the
awful poll of the dead while the wounded num-
Der four times that many. The full tale OF the
dead, cannot, however. be told yet for days.
A HEARTRENDING INCIDENT.
There was one incident OF the accident which
stood out horrible than all of those horrible
scenes In the second coach was man, his wife
and child. His name could not be learned. When
the accident occurred the entire family OF three
was caught and held down by broken woodwork
Finally, when relief came, the man turned TO the
friendly rescuers and feebly SAID: ''Take out my
wife first; I'm afraid the child Is dead" SO they
carried of the mother, and as broken seat was
taken of her crushed breast the blood which
welled from her lips told how badly she was
hurt. They carried the child, haired blue
eyed girl Of three, and laid her in the cornfeld,
dead, alongside OF her dying mother. Then they
went back for the father and brought him out
Both his legs were broken. but he craWled through
the corn TO the side OF his dying Wife, and feeling
her loved features in the darkness, pressed some
brandy to her lips and asked her how she felt A
feeble grOan was the only answer, and the next
instant she died. The man felt the forms OF his
dead wife and child and cried out: my God there
is nothing more for me to live for now, and taking
pistol out or his pocket pulled the trigger. The
bullet went surely through his brain, and the
three dead bodies OF that little family are now
lying side by side in Chatsworth waiting to be
identified.
PASSENGERS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION.
Mr.. ]. NJ. Tierney was in the first sleeper. He
said:
~ felt three distinct shocks and then heard a
grinding sound, and, on looking out, saw that the
car in which we were was directly over the fire,
which was slowly blazing on the StringerS OF the
to the eye and ear was one wish / could forever
efface from my memory; but know never can.
The shrlekS OF the dying and the glarng faces OF
the dead Will always stay with me. To add 20 the
horror, 1t was pitch dark, save the fitfu light OF
the fire under the sleeper which lighted the faces
| OF those about, only TO make their fear and an
guish visible.
ION the mouths Of most OF the corpses could be
seen foam, which showed that they died in agony.
AT last we secured feeble lights, but the wind blew
them out, and about 9 O'clock the rain poured
down in torrents on the unprotected dead and
dying in the hedges and cOrnfieds adjacent. Our
efforts divided between trying to put out the
fire and rescuing the DYING whose cries for help
were heartrend1ng indeed. Mothers ran wildly
about crying for lost children and wives for hus-
bands. Strong men were weeping over the forms
| OF their beloved wives; prayers, entreaties and
grOanS filled the air until daylight, when relief
parties got TO work and removed the dead and
wounded from the scene.
Boston Graves Invaded.
wORKMEN PITCHING THE SKELETONS INTO THE prr.
Lie STREETS.